British Association for the Advancement of Science

Analysis

British Association for the Advancement of Science is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in March 1963, 63 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science and economic/community development/employment, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. It says it makes grants to organisations, acts as an umbrella or resource body and other charitable activities.

In the financial year ending March 2025, British Association for the Advancement of Science reported income of £6.4m and spending of £6.4m, spending 100% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £3.1m to £6.4m (+106%), an average of +20% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income rose by 69%. Over the whole period it spent 99% of the income it received.

Among 17,634 England and Wales charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, British Association for the Advancement of Science sits at the 99th percentile: it is larger than about 99% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 98th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Royal Aeronautical Society (£6.3m), Film Nation UK (£6.5m) and Postal Heritage Trust (£6.3m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 98% and donations and legacies 1.8%. Charitable activities took 96% of spending and raising funds 3.1%. Grants to other organisations totalled £3.0m. Reserves of £2.0m would cover about 4 months of spending at that rate. It employed 38 people.

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.